


Of Flames and Smoke: Side Stories

by orphan_account



Series: Of Flames and Smoke [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Multi, fem!Kuroko - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-11 12:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3326588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A glimpse into the lives of the people of Teiko.</p><p>aka a sort-of sequel of Of Flames and Smoke</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is all over the place. I feel like I've gone overboard with how long Izuki and Himuro's scene lol. Izuki is just really fun to explore in this universe~

Arriving back from his trip to the market, Himuro didn't bother to knock as he stepped through the door that sat propped open.

For some reason, they seemed to be the only shop that had problems with air circulation around here, as they either had every hole in the wall open to get sunlight or sealed shut when it came to dealing with the blizzards, since their maps have yet to be water-resistant. With spring season now upon them, far more welcoming than the early chilly months, it was one of those rare days where they could leave a few windows open to let the cool wind air out the musky space. The weather was perfect aside from the spring showers Midorima was predicting would come next week. Maybe it was a constellation thing.

Placing the groceries at the table near the front windowsill, he made sure to grab a few apples before setting out further in to find Izuki. Their shop wasn't that big to begin with, so of course it wasn't very hard.

Stepping into the back room, Himuro spotted the lamp Izuki always liked to light, burning brightly as usual. Biting into the apple, he leaned against the doorframe it hung from beside his shoulder, watching the shorter male work in the mess of scrolls and ink.

While Himuro handled the customers at the front desk, Izuki was always in the back, working behind the scenes, always cooped up in the back room. It's not like he dislikes interacting with people, but it was rather the opposite. Not very many people were comfortable with being assisted by a _blind man_ , some would even say to his face with a sneer.

Himuro found himself often offended and angered by them on Izuki's behalf. If they found his friend incapable of doing his job, they could take there business somewhere else. The nearest mapmaker in a 50-mile radius was in the next kingdom over. A 70-mile radius if they wanted someone as good as Izuki. But if they had that big of a problem with how their business ran, the trip shouldn't be a problem.

Izuki thought nothing of it. Business was going smoothly as it always did, being in a town that benefited greatly from all the merchants and travelers that passed through, acting as the crossroads between the eastern side of the forest that connected the western side. Early sunset, which was around the time Hmuro had returned just now, was when the usual steady flow of customers and regulars dwindled. Today had been a slow day, thankfully not quite as troublesome as most.

On those particularly rough days, Izuki would leave for the shooting range out back to blow off some steam, leaving Himuro no other choice but to close shop and follow, mostly to make sure Izuki didn't do anything stupid. Not once has he made Himuro doubt him, but if Himuro were in Izuki's shoes, he would have done some things he wouldn't have been proud of.

"As long as I'm doing something I love, who cares what other people think?" Izuki would say after shooting an arrow clean through a straw mannequin's head. "That's what my mom would always say." He was probably as good as Midorima, the leading knight archer, by now. But being ever the humble person, Izuki didn't feel like he was skilled enough to be compared to the young prodigal. Himuro thinks otherwise.

Funny how he could say all that with a straight face as he released another sharp projectile through a hole where the dummy's heart would have been. It was a gaping hole now, shaped from weeks and weeks of arrows continuously piercing the same place. Soon enough he'll be able to shoot it straight through without a problem. It made Himuro wonder just what else the closet archer did alongside his bounty hunting job. Nobody ever got that good for fun.

Three of the four walls were taken up by shelves overflowing with maps, the final wall left bare with the exception of the doorway and the candleholder at his shoulder. Himuro was confused at first as to why they even set the room up like this. Izuki claimed he felt a bit claustrophobic with enough junk, and had been the one who'd suggested putting a lamp as decoration instead, jokingly saying that it really "lit up the place." It didn't take long for Himuro to figure out that Izuki could actually _see_ the flame through both eyes, and that it helped him find his way around the room.

Picking up the sound of crunching, Izuki set his quill down atop the drawing, looking to one of the books strewn off to the side. "Back so early, Tatsuya?" He immediately flipped to a page, dragging a finger down the paper, eyes skimming the letters in his search for something. "Did you make sure to get everything on the list I gave you? I hope you gave everything you had in doing so." He inquired, not looking at Himuro's direction.

They've worked together long enough that the thin line between Izuki's language of puns and actual normal conversation has actually become a bit blurred as the weeks passed by. Nonetheless, it made Himuro laugh. "Yes, I did," he informed the Eagle Eye user with a nod, knowing he would see it. "Here, catch." He tossed the spare apple in hand to the brunet hunched over the worktable.

Izuki caught the fruit with his free hand without looking up. "Thanks." He took a bite out of the juicy nectar before placing it on a stack of books nearby. "Mind grabbing a map in the cabinet to your left for me while you're at it?" His quill continued to scratch along the rough surface. And people say he's crippled due to his sight. The thought alone of people conjuring up that assumption made Himuro's blood boil.

"Sure." Pushing down the surfacing anger, Himuro did as he was asked. Swinging the small wooden framed door with glass panes open, he looked at the three compartments full of rolled-up maps that provided easy access to any of the scrolls with color-coded bases. "One, two, or three?"

"The red one on three, please."

Grabbing the one with a metal base dyed a deep rose, he handed it over to Izuki, who had finally taken the time to look up and meet Himuro's single uncovered eye.

You had to be directly face-to-face with Izuki to actually be able to tell he was blind. With his eyes being naturally gray, his impaired eye was lighter than the ashen shade his irises took when he used his Eagle Eye. The only way you could tell is if you spot him without his Eagle Eye or if you really _looked_ , and Izuki was never one for close contact or letting his guard down around people he didn't know. Himuro and a few others were the exception.

While he should've gotten used to it by now, it still spooked Himuro at times, seeing Izuki's blind eye trained on him, even though it wasn't really looking _at_ him. Covering it up would only draw attention to it, and it's not like he went around flaunting the fact that he was legally half-blind.

A moonless night and a misstep and a blow to the head was all it took to have the nerves in his brain jostled and vision in one eye to decline by nearly 90%. Just like that. It's not really something you'd want to bring up casually in a conversation. Maybe that's what made it spooky; the irony of the fact that he could still perceive light through it, and almost exceptionally well come nightfall. He was like an owl.

It took some—well, a lot of pestering, to get Izuki to at least talk about his life before the accident; and aside from his previous profession, that meant family. Apparently the clan he belonged to, while being known for their outstanding eye traits, had a high mortality rate burdening anyone in the sect under 30. Cause was unknown.

He was lucky to have survived the fall to begin with. The eye was a reminder of that.

Instead of pity, Himuro held extreme respect for the guy.

Himuro cleared his throat, dropping his gaze before Izuki noticed he was staring. Oblivious to the look, Izuki went back to his work, carefully unrolling the map and laying it down on the further end of the table.

Taking the seat opposite of Izuki, Himuro looked down to see what layout he'd grabbed. He didn't know them quite as well as Izuki yet, who probably knows this side of the mountain about as well as every joke book he owned, from cover to cover. But the unusually large mass of trees covering up nearly the whole map made Himuro raise an eyebrow. "What kind of map are you making now?"

"One requested by Princess Tetsumi."

"The Princess?" Leaning forward, he looked closer at the books Izuki had in front of him. A lot of them seemed to be about plants. "What of?"

"The Forbidden Forest."

What an odd request. "I wonder why she'd ask for something like that." Himuro asked.

"Well she _was_ found there." Izuki pointed out. "I'd want to know too if I had been living in such an enchanting place as her for ten years."

"You already seem to know more than enough about it, judging by what you've got so far." Himuro barely realized then that the reason why the table looked so messy was because the map really seemed to go _on_ and _on_ , covering the whole table under all the books and designs Izuki was using as reference, as if the trees were literally going on for miles upon the paper as he kept adding sheets. It wasn't hard to notice that he was currently working on the area around Teiko, judging from the familiar castle that stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of green. "How do you know so much about the famous 'Forest of Magic' anyway?"

"There's still a lot you don't know about me, Tatsuya." There he goes again, being all mysterious again. "Also, Her Royal Highness seems to know more than she lets on. Same with her bodyguard or whatever."

"Bodyguard? You mean the knight from Meiko?" He's seen him trailing the sole princess of Teiko whenever they came out to visit town. Nobody dared make a wrong move or let something slip up when he was around. His looks were already threatening enough as it is. The fact that he was not just any knight anymore, but the princess's royal knight and guardian was the real icing on the cake. Himuro could still remember how shocked the King was after hearing it from Murasakibara. "For some reason, I don't find it that surprising."

"I thought the same too." Izuki agreed. "I had to take her order from him earlier while you were gone. His aura was scary intimidating."

"Speaking of customers, we've got another one that's been waiting outside for quite some time." Izuki seemed to find what he was looking for in the map he'd been handed, picking up the quill again in his dominant hand and going back to the drawing board. He hummed, indicating that he was listening. "Mind if I let him in?"

"Who is it?"

"It's Shuu. Apparently some kids dropped his map to Rakuzan in the river behind Hyuuga's place."

When they had first started helping out Nijimura, Himuro used to wonder if Izuki ever felt uncomfortable, or even envious of him. He still had his job, his eyesight, his freedom. Three things Izuki didn't have anymore, and would probably never get back.

Labeling something onto the framed legend of this piece of parchment, Izuki continued to draw out the map in front of him. "Yeah, go ahead. So long as Moriyama-san isn't with him."

Himuro couldn't help the smile that found its way on his face. But Izuki wasn't like that.

"Too late. Apparently he was already waiting there outside when Shuu came around." Himuro took another bite as he stood up from the chair. "I don't know why you don't like the guy. A bit clingy, yeah, but I can understand why he'd be smitten by you." He said through a mouthful of apple.

A careful hand drew the writing tool up one side of the paper, across, and then down the other, movements smooth like running water. "Well, I'm flattered, but I'm not particularly fond of his... persistence during the day." He seemed hesitant in his choice of words.

"And yet you two make it a routine to hit it off at the local tavern every other night." The quill in Izuki's hand paused. "You telling me he's not persistent then?" Himuro asked curiously.

Izuki set his hand down. "He's certainly much less hyper when it's late. He's not as disappointing as you would think he'd be once you get to know him." The way Izuki said that could mean two things. If he meant what Himuro was thinking he meant, he was better off not knowing what, or who, Izuki did. Or vice versa or whatever. If he meant it in the less personal way, harsh.

"What is he, a dog?" Receiving no answer, Himuro rolled his eyes, turning to leave. "At least try not to lead the guy on without some sort of plan. He's gonna start to get more bold."

He let the words sit for a moment, before watching Izuki go back to the map in front of him as if nothing had happened. "Don't worry. A good artist knows where to draw the line." Himuro could hear the smile on his lips.

"I'm leaving now."

Unfortunately, for a guy who can still hit a bullseye 70 yards away with only eye, he sure was pretty blind when it came to dealing with people dropping hints on him.

\-----

"Just a little off the tips like last time?"

Momoi nodded, holding her hair up so Hyuuga could drape the sheet over her shoulders. Being the son of a barber, there was little surprise in the youngest town advisor at eighteen years of age that he was just as skilled as his father.

"What makes you think that?" Momoi said.

She spotted a smile on his face when he walked around the stool to begin working on her hair. "It pays to know my customer's needs."

But out of the corner of her eye, just as quickly as it had come the smile was gone, and—ah, there's that frown she was so used to seeing. "Also, that's the only type of haircut you've gotten from both me and my father." He lightly reprimanded, making Momoi smile sheepishly. "How many years has it been since you actually cut your hair?"

Contrary to the tone of his voice, the comb he drew through her pink locks was as gentle as ever. There were times when he came off as rude or even arrogant, but any other time, people knew him as a kind guy with a calm and collected attitude. And like almost any other man in a profession, he held a lot of pride in his work.

As corny as it sounded, cutting hair could be just as much of an art as painting, or blacksmithing, or even sword fighting; and Momoi believed it.

"Ten years, I believe." She replied after pondering the question while Hyuuga cleared her hair of any tangles.

Hyuuga drew a small cup filled with water out from the bucket at his feet, bringing the cup up and letting the water run down in rivulets through her hair. After setting the cup down, he used a towel to pat her neck and ears dry. "It's been nearly a decade. Still not quite tired of the look yet?" Hyuuga chided.

This time, when he brought the comb down, it didn't catch on any tangles. This made it easier to cut hair evenly.

"Actually," Momoi took in a deep breath, before letting it out slowly, "I've thought about it a little, and I want you to chop it all off."

The comb in her hair ceased. "Huh?"

"I think it's finally time I move on from all this hair." Momoi lifted up a group of wet strands, playing with the dripping tips. "It's hard to keep up with, and gets in the way whenever I'm taking notes." Momoi explained.

Hyuuga said nothing, probably contemplating her decision, before resuming his combing. "There's no other reason for the sudden change?" He asked once he'd pulled back. He reached over to grab a pair of scissors. "It's not just a spur of the moment decision, right?"

Momoi shrugged, able to move around for the moment. "Who knows. Maybe I made a promise, like a certain someone I know." The wink she sent at him brought a high-pitched "Hah!?" and the sound of something—a tray full of scissors and combs it sounded like—dropping onto the floor. Momoi stifled a giggle.

What Hyuuga didn't know, was that the reason she never cut her hair short until now was because she had also made a promise, to herself those long years ago that she believed her friend would return home. And until then, she wouldn't cut her hair.

"That was five years ago!" He retorted. It wasn't a secret that he had eyes for the young maid (Momoi hoped the same went for Riko, for Hyuuga's sake). Before Hyuuga had begun his father's apprenticeship, Riko had made a promise to him that when—not if, Riko had corrected him—he passed, she'd be the first person who'd have her hair cut by him. It was actually really sweet that she never let anyone do it for her until he became a full-fledged barber. It grew pretty long in the two years it took.

"And so you never fail to remind everyone." Hearing him pick up the things he'd dropped and muttering something about "annoying girls and their good memories," Momoi added, "Don't go messing up now, Hyuuga. Imagine what Riko would think if she heard you messed up her best friend's hair."

"Yeah yeah, I get it." Hyuuga grumbled, finally settling down and taking a moment to test the blade of the clean scissors with the pad of his fingers before lifting the rosy tresses up from the exposed skin of her neck.

Feeling the cold brush of metal as Hyuuga drew the scissors up to the hair at her nape, and the soft _snip snip_ as one by one, the severed strands floated down to the floor, Momoi felt lighter already.

 _Think of it as a promise that's finally been fulfilled_ , she thought to herself later, looking at the end product in the hand mirror Hyuuga had offered to her, her hair just barely tickling her shoulders.

\-----

It had barely been a little over five minutes since Midorima had taken his place beside the castle's stable entrance, arms folded behind his back, before Takao had peeked his head over the wall and called out to him.

"Yo, Shin-chan." He greeted, that blinding smile ever-present whenever it had to do with the presence or mentioning of the green haired male below him.

Ever since the two had met 5 years ago, in this same spot, they had become nearly inseparable. Well, as inseparable as two people from different social classes could be. After all, Midorima was one of the last descendants of the Midorima family, one of the six families that had founded this kingdom, and Takao had moved here with his family to find work that had become scarce in Touou as a result of the country's overpopulation. They weren't exactly a normal duo.

A voice floated over from somewhere deeper into the stables. "Hey Takao! Why isn't this stable cleaned yet? Stop chatting!" It was Ogiwara. He was Takao's assistant, a good six years younger, but it seemed like Ogiwara was the more responsible one when it came to doing his job.

Keeping a firm hold on the top of the wall, Takao leaned away, yelling back, "I'll get to it in a second, Ogiwara! Can't you cut me a little slack? I'm your senpai, after all." Ah, the seniority card.

"Is pulling rank on me even a thing in this field?" The sound of metal scraping against tile ceased. Ogiwara was probably contemplating storming into the stable to tell him off, but was holding himself back. "Just don't embarrass yourself again, please. You weren't the only one smelling like manure for a week!" He pleaded, probably having flashbacks of Takao's latest messy accident.

"That was once!" When he didn't get a direct response, but a faint "Superior, my ass," from the next stable over and Ogiwara returning to his shoveling, Takao hung his head. "That kid's going places, I tell you." He said, smiling nonetheless.

In his mind, Midorima rolled his eyes. Despite his words, Ogiwara meant well. He really looked up to Takao, both during and outside of their job. The thirteen year old probably didn't want to lose his friend to something stupid like slacking off at work, which Takao admitted to falling victim to sometimes. If Midorima remembered correctly, Ogiwara had no relatives accompanying him when he came to Teiko, for a reason similar to Takao; looking for work. Takao was also the same person that offered him a place he could stay until he could find his own. Midorima could see where the young ostler was coming from.

Takao returned back to his spot where Midorima could see him, the task he'd been asked of already forgotten for the moment. Midorima shook his head. He never learned. "So, what brings you here? Disrupting me while I'm doing my job, I see." Takao chuckled.

"Don't make wrong assumptions after I just heard that conversation, fool. Also, I hope you haven't forgotten that my duty to the kingdom isn't just as the king and heir's advisor." Midorima reminded him.

"You could've just said that instead of acting all tsundere about it." Takao stuck his tongue out, propping his arms on top of the wooden walls of the stable to keep himself steady. Midorima wouldn't be surprised if he was balancing on a stack of hay like he did every time he heard him coming around. Let's just hope he didn't slip and fall into a pile of Yukimaru's dung like last time.

"But I guess that's what makes Shin-chan, Shin-chan." Takao said, laughing under his breath. "It's been a while."

The only time they could meet up was when Midorima was on duty, or when they were off work, which was a good 20 percent of the time. The stables, Takao's type of workplace, was on its border. They had to keep it secret though. You could never fully trust members of royalties that visited from other kingdoms; that's how secrets got leaked and wars started.

Not only that, but Midorima more often then not had meetings in other kingdoms, making time for them to hang out even more scarce.

Midorima would never admit it out loud, but there were times when he wished he could go back to just being a knight, instead of having to juggle Prince Akashi's future inheritance of the throne beside his knightly duties _and_ Teiko's rocky relationships with almost every other kingdom. He was one of the most influential people in the castle after all, behind the royal family. It was a burden he alone had to best.

In terms of duties, the worst thing Takao has to worry about is what's on his contract, and unless bloodshed is absolutely necessary, he has it pretty easy until then.

Pushing away the thought, Midorima glared at him. "A week isn't that long." He interjected. "And I told you not to call me by that ridiculous name."

"It's long enough, Shin-chan." Takao sung. He tilted his head, looking down at him curiously. "But isn't Touou visiting today? Shouldn't you be there?"

When kingdoms are invited to Teiko, the most Midorima could do is intimidate and provide moral support for the speakers. Their speaker, however, needed none of that. "It's common for a knight or two to stand guard at the castle entrance of the stables to await the Prince and Princess's return from their weekly ride." Midorima stated.

"Yeahhh, I know that already, that's why we're cleaning their stables," Takao complained. "But I'm sure there's another reason why you're here. Something that has to do with the meeting, perhaps?" Takao was on point with his guesses, as always. 

"You've assumed right. Do you think I'd want to be in the same room as 'those two'?" Midorima asked.

"Those two?" It took a few more moments for it to sink in before Takao finally realized who exactly his friend was talking about. "Ah, you mean Imayoshi and Hanamiya!"

Those two never took any of their talks seriously. And even if they did, it was near impossibly to tell. A whole kingdom's fate resting in their hands, and they settled their decisions with mind games.

"They're representing both our kingdoms in the debate of whether there should be war between us." Midorima pointed out, looking up at the brunet that had fallen silent, his usual wide smile turning into a much softer one.

War meant immediate drafting to the front line for Takao. It was a part of the contract he signed to get this job, after all. Ogiwara, even though he did the same work, was still three years too young. And, because he took this job at thirteen, he couldn't go through with the drafting, meaning it was just going to be Takao.

As for a knight, there was no arguing. It was just another job for them. They were both nineteen and controlled by their sealed fate. The only difference between Takao and Midorima's position is that Midorima is trained to kill. Takao isn't.

Besides his smile, there was little change in Takao's expression. "Man, that's the third threat this month." He groaned. Midorima couldn't disagree, because it was true. First Meiko, then Rakuzan, and now Touou was kicking up old dirt with them. "Just watch. Soon, these old farts are gonna have enough, and everyone's gonna be going to war." Takao said, a hint of laughter in his voice. Midorima didn't hear any bitterness.

 _Including you_ , was what he wanted to say. But Midorima held his tongue. There was no need to remind Takao of something he knows he's already signed up for. Knowing Takao, he'd probably sign up for it ten times over if that meant he could provide for his mother and sister until then. For people like Takao, war was the last thing on their minds.

Takao went on. "I just hope Meiko will keep their promise of becoming allies with us if ever the need arises, via the peace treaty." That's right. The peace treaty. The princess's... knight.

"Speaking of peace treaty, have you met Kagami yet?" Takao asked, letting the subject of the war meeting drop. He never liked talking about it too much either.

Midorima nodded. "I have. He's... hard to be around."

"In other words, you guys aren't necessarily friends." Takao immediately translated.

Bullseye. "The first day I met him, I learned he was a Leo. Leos were first and Cancers were last that same day." Midorima turned his eyes to Takao to gauge his reaction. "You can see where I'm getting at here."

The horse caretaker laughed into his hand. "Not a very good first impression, huh."

"That's an understatement. The oaf nearly impaled me with multiple swords during hand to hand." Midorima frowned, recalling how Kagami had 'accidentally' flung him towards the rack of swords propped up against the wall. The idiot had the nerve to apologize, saying he "didn't realize he was so light." There was only an inch difference in their height, how could he _not_ have known? He must've done it on purpose.

Takao burst into laughter, the image of a 79 kg boulder like himself being flung like a skipping stone forming in his mind. "How did he manage _that_?" He said in between wheezes.

"It's still a mystery." Midorima found himself shaking his head. There was no way he was going to tell Takao what really happened. He'd never hear the end of it.

"I wouldn't say he's the best fit for Her Highness. He's very vague in his family roots, and his relationship with the Princess. He lashes out and doesn't think before he acts." He began listing off the various reasons, but Midorima didn't think he had enough fingers on his two hands to count off all the things he found unbecoming of the redhead.

Takao was short of breath, but finally over the initial laughter. "Somebody's getting overprotective." He teased, still chuckling.

Midorima ignored the bright smile that was back on Takao's face. "I am not."

Anybody who was close to the Princess before her disappearance have been working their butts off to make up for it. But her having a guardian like Kagami, who they knew little to nothing about, was enough to put more than a few people on edge. And truth be told, even someone like Midorima would have been better suited for the job.

But there is a difference between being right for the job, and being right for the person you're trying to protect.

Midorima felt almost ashamed of feeling like he was intruding whenever he spied on them during his rounds. Whenever Kagami and Testumi were alone, it was almost like they were in their own little world. A world consisting of just the two of them. They had some sort of connection that he doesn't think he'd be able to achieve in such little time, no matter how well he can put up an argument or wield a bow.

"Shin-chan?" He was snapped out of his thoughts by the worried tone in Takao's voice.

Perhaps he should give him a better thought-out answer.

"And while he's an idiot and nearly impossible to get along with," "In your case," Takao added with a clearing of his throat, having finally settled back down, smiling back when he was silenced with a glare, "I won't deny that he'll be able to keep the Princess safe and in good company in any circumstance." Midorima admitted.

There is more to Kagami then meets the eye, but so long as he takes care of Testumi, Midorima had no problem with waiting for the truth just a little longer.

\-----

Kise stared down at the sheet of paper devoid of any writing. The quill he was planning on using still sat untouched, soaking in its inkwell. Beside it was his daily mountain of unopened letters he had to read and/or deliver to his men within the remaining hours left in daylight, which, judging from the window to his left, was slowly dwindling.

_Would you keep an eye on this 'Kagami' for me, Kise? Let me know if anything unusual comes up. As a knight who isn't familiar with our kingdom's culture and roots, he has to prove himself worthy as both a knight, and a person._

Or so Akashi had said. Except it's been nearly three months, and Kagami has yet to do anything that would arouse suspicion or make anyone doubt his abilities.

Kise rested his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes that were beginning to hurt from staring at the blank report for too long. He couldn't find anything worthy of noting about their permanent "unless Meiko decided to revoke their treaty he's staying" guest that would be important enough to put down on paper.

 _Would being able to tick off a whole courtroom and its king in one sentence count?_ Kise jokingly thought.

No, too sarcastic.

Scratching his head, Kise thought back to their first meeting. Being the third-in-command below Midorima, and of course, Akashi, the others didn't have time to always be buddy-buddy with everyone, so that left Kise to do what he could to make Kagami feel welcomed.

It wasn't anything special. The two had headed down to meet the other knights after the... surprising outcome of events in the court that day. A brief introduction of their new member, and then it was back to training or returning to shifts. For Kise, he was stuck being Kagami's 'instructor' for the day, not that he needed it however. The guy knew how to wield a sword like a fortune-teller knew the palm of your hand; inside, and out.

Along with his lack of error and laziness, unlike even the most veteran marshals inspiring to be future protectors of the people, and a certain blue haired male he knew, it was hard to resist praising the guy.

Kise never really had the chance to talk to him after that, having been granted permission from the King himself (Kise has a feeling it was mostly Akashi that got him to agree to it) to accompany the Princess during the day. Other times, he had actual knightly duties, and everybody was never in a mood to talk after spending hours standing at a post doing nothing. Kise still knows the feeling well, unfortunately not having the luxury of being dismissed from such assignments even though he was in charge of nearly a third of this kingdom's armed forces.

With a sigh, Kise crumpled up the paper, deciding to scrap the report altogether. He didn't have time for this. He had more important documents to worry about.

However, there was just one thing that Kise wanted to question.

When Kagami had first spoken, there was something off in the way he addressed the princess. The name of the language has long since perished, even from Kise's knowledge, years of practice and the ability to recognize dialects of word of mouth passed down from his mother saving him the trouble of hitting a language barrier, even though they know now that Kagami had at one point picked up their way of communicating. Kise knew his stuff, but he was sure that what he had heard was different from what Kise himself had said in reply on that day.

_"Your Majesty, I offer allegiance and service to the Princess of Teiko."_

Anybody who wasn't an interpreter wouldn't have picked up on the uncharacteristic tongue roll and elongated pronunciation of vowels, too focused on his actual words to care about how he said it. And of course no one besides a select few would now. After all, that significantly complex dialect hadn't been used in nearly two-hundred years. Anyone who would know it would either have to be more than two-hundred years old, or had learned it from a descendant that somehow survived the Arc, a good century and a half ago.

Finally taking an envelope from the eyesore of a pile, Kise spared a last glance at the other dozen similarly unused balls of paper that had accumulated on the opposite side of his desk, a result of two hours of fruitless brainstorming. That was one thing that might be worth mentioning...

Maybe he'll just tell Akashi in person the next time he sees him.

\-----

"Could you tell us another one of your stories?"

"One more! One more!"

"Please? Mother didn't let me come last time, so can you make this one _extra_ special?"

"I don't know about that. I might have told you every story I have already."

The despaired wails of the kids drifted around the corner and echoed loudly in Kiyoshi's ears, who was well within hearing distance of the little story circle. As a matter of fact, he was stationed to patrol this section of town specifically for the Princess's safety. Arms folded, he turned his body so he could see what all the commotion was about.

Littered with apple trees, the largest of them all standing rooted in the center was currently being housed under by a few dozen kids sitting around Tetsumi in the shape of a crescent.

Seeing the crestfallen faces of the six year olds, Tetsumi sat up straighter, brushing any stray leaves off her matching green gown. Pulling her hair tucked in a braid from over her shoulder, she plucked out a stray leaf that had nestled its way into silky blue locks. "I suppose I can tell you _one_ more. But no more after that. This'll be the last one for today." She said with a sigh, the smile that graced her face betraying the false reluctance in her words.

It only grew wider when the children babbled to each other excitedly before quickly shushing each other and settling down so she could start. Kiyoshi doesn't think he's ever seen the Princess smile quite as much as when she goes out to her weekly visits with the children.

Leaning back on the smooth trunk of the apple tree, Tetsumi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Should it be another story about the books?" The groans that she received from the kids meant that no, they didn't want to hear about the books again for the fourth time. Amused at their impatience, Tetsumi tried again. "Ah, how about the dragon then?"

"Yeah!" Their enthusiasm was immediate. Kiyoshi's shoulders shook at how easily their attention was caught.

Call him crazy, but Kiyoshi didn't find it that hard to believe. A princess living with a dragon? He's heard of crazier things than that. Not only that, but...

"Then another dragon story it is," Tetsumi said, exasperated. "You don't mind one more story before we head back, Kagami-kun?" She asked, turning her head to address the redhead Kiyoshi noticed dozing off on the opposite side of the trunk.

Kiyoshi could see the glowing eyes reveal themselves from behind previously closed lids. Kagami usually took this time to sleep instead of joining in on the storytelling. The veteran knew that he wasn't very good with kids.

Kagami regarded her with a tired look, before giving a shrug to tell her that he didn't really care and laying his head back on the timber. He muttered something under his breath that Kiyoshi couldn't quite catch.

Whatever it was made a familiar expression cross her face, as if she'd heard something she had forgotten for years, and was reminded of it just now. It was something Kiyoshi saw often whenever he was around the two. Testumi responded back just as softly, probably teasing him, judging by how she rolled her eyes at his next response before Kiyoshi saw her turn back, unfortunately missing the fond smile she had conjured up on the face of her minder. It wasn't quite as wide, or as bright as hers, but it was a smile Kiyoshi knew well. He smiled like that too sometimes, to cover up the need to say something, usually something important. It always pissed off Hyuuga whenever he used it around him. _Ah, young love._

Who was he kidding. He's one year their senior. There was no need to sound like some wise elder about it. But if this kept up, he will certainly be one by the time they finally figure it out.

Folding her hands in her lap, their storyteller began. Kagami stayed awake this time around. Kiyoshi faced forward again, paying more attention to the tale rather than the sight itself now. He couldn't help but listen in, as he always did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about palm reading and Tarot card reading  
> Thank god for Google amirite
> 
> yo but aoriko and akariko tho

Low snoring caught Riko's attention.

She had been in the middle of gathering any dirty or discarded articles of clothing that had been strewn on the floor- the Prince was surprisingly lacking in tidiness—when the sound of someone slumbering close by made itself known with a nasally snore.

Frowning, she peeked out of the door opening to the royal quarters, turning to the sound that came from the relaxed form she spotted sprawling itself over one of the hall benches. Riko recognized the head of navy blue hair and shook her head, hurrying to place the last of the soiled garments into the laundry basket propped on her hip before stepping out. She made sure to lock the door behind her before making her way over to the sleeping figure.

Yup, it was Aomine alright. There were better—less public—places to sleep on than the hardwood benches that could be found in every hallway, but judging from how sound asleep he looked, there was obviously no cares given in the matter. His body was far too large for the small bench to look even remotely comfortable, judging by how he had to use his arm as substitute for a pillow and how his legs were practically dangling off the other end. Aomine's boot clad feet easily touched the ground.

Riko rolled her eyes. Hefting up the heavy straw basket, she dropped it on his stomach.

The snore cut off in a startled snort as the air was forced out of him. She heard him curse and watched as he sat up, holding his stomach. She stepped back with basket in hand before he could knock it to the floor.

Aomine rubbed his sore midsection. "Ow, what the hell was that for?" He looked to her with a glare.

"If you're so tired, why don't you go sleep in your room instead of snoring away on a bench in the East Wing?" Riko asked, nodding towards the end of the hallway. "It's just around the corner."

"Too much trouble." Aomine muffled a yawn with his hand. "I was going to get some shut-eye out in the courtyard, but it's full of people preparing for the festival. Way too much noise to nap through."

"So you decided to sleep here. In front of the Prince's royal quarters."

"I can sleep wherever I want." The half-hearted shrug he gave her ticked her off.

"If Prince Akashi were here, he'd already be having you doing drills in the yard like last time." She reminded him.

"Or perhaps you require a harsher punishment, Aomine." Riko turned around, finding Akashi himself standing in front of his room, the one that she had just exited. He was dressed in his training garments, the maroon tunic and ebony vest still as crisp and clean as it had looked coming out of the wash. The only detail giving away the notion that he had been out in the sun all day was the light sheen of sweat on his brow that he lifted a loose-cuffed sleeve to wipe away, and the scuffs of dirt on his pants and boots.

Riko hurried to bow to the heir. Empty hallway or not, it was still courtesy to acknowledge a royal family member's presence. "Prince Akashi."

Aomine stayed silent, leaning forward on his knees and just watching the scene unfold.

"You may rise again." And she did.

Akashi studied her for an instant. "Tetsumi is your friend, correct?"

Riko nodded hesitantly.

"You call her by her name upon her request because you are her friend." He inferred. "Any friend of Tetsumi's is a friend of mine." A courteous smile just barely reached his features. "You may drop the "Prince" part if it suits you. I have enough "Prince Akashi"'s to deal with in the span of one day, so one less wouldn't hurt." He assured her. Riko could only imagine the looks on his courters if they witnessed the grins he often let slip when away from the public eye.

She flushed, bowing again. "As you wish, Akashi-san." She heard him breath out an amused laugh. Well, it was a start.

"And as for you, Aomine," Akashi directed his eyes to Aomine. "Can you also escort Riko-san to the launders on your way to the training grounds?" He fished a key out from a pocket knit along the inner layer of his vest. "I'm sure Midorima, Kise, and Kagami are finishing up as we speak. You can start tomorrow's drills when they're done since you seem so well rested after skipping today's meeting." Akashi instructed, sliding the key into the lock.

"Wha—"

Akashi cut through Aomine's objection with his words sharp like glass. "And maybe try not to sleep in front of my quarters next time. Your snoring echoes through these thin walls." The lock released with a _click_.

"I've had night shifts for the past three nights. I should be able to take a day off every once in a while." Aomine argued.

"You take days off even when you don't have night shifts." Akashi responded, pocketing the gold key. "I'm sure you'll make it through the rest of the day training."

"You're not my mom," Aomine started, rising up off the bench, a retort ready on his lips. Akashi stilled. "You can't tell me what to d-"

"That's an _order_ , Aomine." Gold flashed bright under vibrant red. "I can, and I will if I have to. Pulling rank isn't an issue for me, _Lieutenant_." Aomine jerked back as if the sudden icy words burned him like fire.

Riko watched the faintest coloring of halcyon bleed into one of his irises, like a drop of blood in a basin of water.

A frown replaced Akashi's smile, though it would have made Riko feel more uneasy if it had stayed. "If you have a problem with it, you can take it up with me privately." The sudden intimidating air of the young general made the hall feel as if the temperature had dropped a good twenty degrees. "Do you?" Akashi directed the inquiry to his lower-ranked companion, tilting his head in question.

To Riko's surprise, Aomine didn't have anything to say. Instead, he stood down, dropping his gaze to the ground. "I... No, sir."

Akashi seemed satisfied with the answer. "Good. I trust you will take heed of my words and not disappoint me this time." Aomine tensed at his choice of words, but said nothing else. "You are dismissed."

Then, Akashi, as of he'd been caught off guard, frowned, this time in confusion. The hint of gold apprent in his left eye as gone the next time he blinked, as if whatever had come over him had been dismissed as well. Riko finally felt like she could breath again. She heard Aomine release a bated breath.

Akashi dropped his head, placing a hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to see that. My mind slipped for just a moment, but he still..." His sentence trailed off as he breathed in a shaky inhale.

A prolonged silence settled over the three until the heir collected himself, turning back to his door and not meeting their eyes.

"I will be off to have a meeting with my father soon, so don't wait up for me come dinner time." Akashi turned the conversation down a more formal route. He spoke slower this time, cautiously.

Between the two, Riko snapped out of her silence first. "As you wish, Pr—" She caught herself before she instinctively fell back into pleasantries again. "... Akashi-san. Please try and get some rest until then."

Akashi nodded as if he had hardly registered her words. "You two are dismissed." Compared to his speech a minute earlier, the strictness was nowhere to be found. Pushing the door open, he entered his room. He let the door close behind him, leaving Riko and Aomine to stare after him worriedly.

"Hey." Riko tore her eyes away from the door she had last seen red hair enter when she felt Aomine brush past her. "Let's go, before Akashi comes out here again to find something worse for me to do." There was no bite in his words. He sounded calmer now, almost mellow.

They both knew Akashi wouldn't come out again until they left.

It was no secret that Aomine was not highly ranked in comparison to his friends- the general of the army, Akashi; Midorima and Kise, who were commanders; and Murasakibara, one of Teiko's four vassal lords- a captain with a personal band of Yosen knights at his disposal. Riko could see where the frustration was rooted.

He handled the recon and tactical units ever since Nijimura dropped the fighting-wars-head-on jig, which were smaller in number and more skilled in working together. "At least being ranked lower means I get to sleep better at night knowing less blood has been spilt on my hands," Riko had heard him say once.

But that didn't mean he hasn't had men die under his orders.

Akashi's order must have reminded him of that.

She must have been staring, because Aomine stopped and looked back at her. "You coming or not?"

"A-Ah, yes!" Riko had to run to catch up with Aomine's long strides as they started towards the end of the wing, but not without a final look over her shoulder towards the quiet room.

"Just let him be. He's just go a lot on his mind." Aomine's words were an understatement, and Riko couldn't find it in herself to disagree. "The lack of sleep must be getting to him too." She recalled the faint outline of bags under Akashi's eyes, and she was sure it wasn't because he worked late at night.

"I know." Riko sighed, facing forward again. "I just can't help but worry sometimes. For you, too. All of you."

"Don't waste your time worrying. It makes us soft." Aomine peered down at her, eyebrow raised. "And the last thing Akashi wants is to be placed in a position where he has to burden his problems on someone else. He'll get through it. He's stubborn like that. The same goes for us."

Riko nodded reluctantly. He had a point. They were all alike, regardless of rank.

"I mean, it could probably be all in his head. Who knows?" A hard kick to the back of the knee had the rest of the tension melting from Aomine's features as he bent over in pain. "Ow, what the hell was that for?" Aomine complained, holding his leg.

Riko kept walking, chin in the air. "There are better ways to phrase that last part, you know. You make it sound like His Highness is going insane." She accused, annoyed at his way of dispelling the melancholy atmosphere, even though it did work.

Aomine clicked his tongue, running after her. "That doesn't mean you have to kick me for it!"

"Momoi would've done the same."

"Don't even _try_ bringing Satsuki into this now!"

Maybe he was right. They weren't called the Generation of Miracles for nothing.

\-----

The royal librarian, a kind man in his thirties, donning the traditional gray and turquoise Teiko robes of a royal castle official, stopped at the doorway, looking back at the gray-haired male.

"Please don't hesitate to call me if there is anything you need, Chihiro-san." He called out to the busy bookbinder.

Mayuzumi waved off the librarian, going back to carefully shuffling through the piles of parchment that lay spread out across polished wood. "I will." Forbearing what would come off as a rude 'if I need it,' Mayuzumi continued, lifting his gaze to meet surveying hazel ones belonging to his senior. "I'm sure I'll have it done within the hour, so don't roam too far."

The old man seemed to take it as a joke. It really wasn't. "A jokester just like your father." He chuckled, oblivious to the literal meaning behind Mayuzumi's words. Mayuzumi didn't find it very funny, but has learned to school his expression enough to keep it from appearing wry. "There's no need to worry. I'll be in the West Wing if you need me," the librarian reassured.

Come to think of it, Mayuzumi has had yet to learn the man's name. The young teen dropped his gaze and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you..."

"Raku."

"... Raku. I'll keep that in mind."

Only after massive oak closed shut did Mayuzumi set the papers down and sigh, leaning back in the cushioned seat and rubbing his temples as he felt another headache coming on. He already had the cup of herbal tea the town healer had put him on, but it felt like today's dose had already worn off by the time he stepped into the bookstore this morning. The stale taste of mint was all that lingered.

All these scripts were beginning to mess with his brain. It was like the kanji were etched into the back of his eyelids, appearing every time he blinked, making bookbinding at the moment all the more frustrating. It's been a while since he'd last touched a book that was in need of repair. Blame it on his father always being here to do it for him.

It was too bad his father had left three days ago for his annual journey to Rakuzan, surprisingly by request of King Eiji himself.

Not that Mayuzumi felt any envy. He refused to go after he realized how off the ruler seemed.

It was the first time he'd accompanied his father who had invited him to join in the banquet. When it used to be in Meiko, before King Eiji made it in take place in Rakuzan, that is. Rumor was that in recent years, Teiko's Prince Akashi had started to attend them, not that King Eiji could have any say in turning away a _Prince_.

The King had been the only heir to the throne, meaning he had no one of blood relation to aid in his rule, with his father and mother having been assassinated by the Kirisaki Clan, the current culprits behind tensions between Rakuzan and any kingdoms that had relationships between them.

Anyway, it was a banquet that occurred every year for scholars such as his father to mingle and exchange knowledge and recent discoveries. Mayuzumi was never one to beat around the bush, though even he wouldn't want to be caught speaking badly of the Ruler of the Kingdom of Creation, the longest standing kingdom in the vicinity, but even he had to admit that the guy was creepy. He had stared a lot, especially at Mayuzumi, more so than at his father, who he had been obviously having a conversation with. Funny how his father had thought the same, pulling him off to the side to speak with him about it after.

 _"Never trust the King, you hear? When it comes to asking for something, that is,"_ was what his father had told his eight-year-old self, even though the two men were clearly were clearly in allegiance with each other. _"Promises hold a lot of power over people if they're desperate enough."_

Talk about being melodramatic. He was over exaggerating... probably. Either way, Mayuzumi would be fine if he never crossed paths with that man again.

 _Anyways, back to the book._ Upon opening the empty bindings of the cover, he was genuinely unsurprised to find the front and back bookends barely being held together by its seams. He thumbed the fraying indentations inside and lifted the book up, examining the soiled bottom edges. Just the outside of the book alone looked ready to fall apart.

It didn't take long for him to dispose of the wimpy parchment cover, opting for a much more durable hardback leather one. He had yet to shave off the damaged ends of the manuscript, but so many of the pages had fallen out prior to Raku handing it to him that he had no other choice but to put it back in order first.

The fastest way to start was to find the beginning and end sheets. Rifling through the stacks, he found the front endpaper, the large writing on it catching his attention. At the top, in looping kanji, were the words _The Arc War_. For some reason, it sounded familiar.

Flipping the page, he was met with a large body of text split into two columns, which seemed to belong right after the title, the part of the book that had yet to fall out of place. Mayuzumi slipped the front page over before turning back to the first page.

Ashen eyes scanned the page, and it was when Mayuzumi read the words, _at midday, when the sun was at its highest and brightest_ , that it finally clicked.

It was a written documentation of the famous Arc War, or Arc for short. It's been years since he'd last heard the name. His father would always tell him of the war as if it were some bedtime story.

Perhaps that was because that's all people saw the war as anymore.

Most people referred to it as the Arc because it was in relation to the path of the sun across the sky. _Arc_ , in terms of the sun, means "the denoting of a path of a celestial object," one example being the sun and how it goes from horizon to horizon. It symbolized the war being fought between the opposite horizons, where the sun rose and where the sun set.

According to the book, it says that "the sun was at its highest point, at midday, when the sun was at its highest and brightest, when the decade long war started." It was a war that started between Kaijo and Yosen. Due east of Teiko, the sun rises and first hits the towering peaks of Kaijo, its mountainous regions giving it the title of the castle in the sky, and sets the land's western horizon ablaze along the tree line of the enchanted forests of Yosen, the castle in the roots. Kaijo had been the one to declare war on Yosen, something about old blood that had been spilled. The name was only fitting.

Kaijo, in making that declaration of war from across the land, had caught all the other kingdoms in its snare. Teiko was still newly declared territory, smack dab in the middle of the two kingdoms waging war, with a young king of no battle experience. He had gone on to side with Kaijo, as did Rakuzan. Yosen had Touou and Meiko as her allies.

The irony was that while Kaijo emerged the victor, it was they that suffered the most. Yosen was beyond rebuilding, and Kaijo had lost so much territory and power that it no longer stood as one of the military superpowers, leaving Rakuzan alone on the pedestal. _I bet that was a surprise_ , Mayuzumi thought blandly, flipping through a few more pages.

Yosen's citizens were forced to live in other neighboring kingdoms, including Teiko, and Kaijo has since then cut itself off from the rest of the world. One of the knights—Murasakibara, was it?—was actually a member of one of the families that immigrated here.

Touou wasn't so lucky. It had been reduced to a land ridden with thieves and black market traders, no longer the prideful land it once was. Corrupt men were constantly wrestling for the throne ever since their latest ruler had passed away. Meiko was currently in a shaky, but otherwise dependable alliance with Teiko for trade. Mayuzmi doubted that sat well with Touou.

"Small-scale kingdoms and entire clans were wiped out throughout the duration of the war, blah blah blah..." He tossed the script before he could read any more. He's heard this story enough times from his father. The rest of it was probably stats and death tallies anyway.

Mayuzumi didnt need it haunting him while he was out working too.

\-----

"Fancy seeing you here, Nijimura-san."

The voice rang a bell in Nijimura's mind. He turned around. "I could say the same for you, Sakurai."

There sat Sakurai atop a horse, two knights flanking him. The russet attire matched well with his features. Nijimura had yet to get used to the young teen in any color that weren't standard Teiko colors.

Sakurai nodded to the two men accompanying him, and waited until they exited the cramped alley to speak again. "Leaving Teiko already?" Nijimura shifted the pack on his shoulder to the other side. "Isn't it a bit too early to be leaving the princess here?"

Nijimura's eyes narrowed. "I'm not her bodyguard."

A thoughtful look crossed Sakurai's features. "Yes, I suppose you aren't."

Sakurai knew something. "Why are you here anyways? Doesn't Touou need it's Chief of Security?"

The brunet held a finger to his lips. " _Ex_ -Chief of Security. But nobody needs to know that." Nijimura's skeptic look melted into one of concern, but it didn't faze him. "You know how quickly those tyrants work. It's alright, it's not really my problem anymore. I was transferred to Meiko, so right now, I'm nothing but a messenger." Sakuai informed him, gesturing to his Meiko get-up. "But I do believe I asked you a question."

"I only came back to secure the Princess's safety when Prince Akashi started up searching for her again. She has become well-accustomed to her royal life again, the others will be there for her." Nijimura explained, pairing his words with a shrug. "Six years of being a knight doesn't do much help in breaking the habit."

"To still trust a troublesome man such as he, I'm surprised." Nijimura stepped forward, and Sakurai raised his hands up in defense. "I'm kidding. No need to get all defensive." The amused tone was still there.

"All that time in Touou sure has given you a nasty attitude compared to the last time we met, Sakurai." Nijimura said, eyeing the boy from head to toe.

"Two years can be a long time, and you know it's just a disguise. Although," Sakurai pondered the possibility for a bit, "I have to admit, the moodiness really sticks on you." He shrugged it off. "Anyways, that wasn't what I came to talk to you about."

Slipping off his horse, Sakurai pulled a roll of paper from one of the leather bags hanging off his ride. "I had two packages to deliver. Both are for the royal family. I already delivered the first one to the King and the Court. This one," Sakurai approached him and held out the scroll, "I need you to deliver."

Nijimua took the letter, seeing the wax seal that was made to keep it closed, broken. "What does it say?" The sudden silence wasn't a good sign. "Sakurai?"

"I intercepted a messenger not long after I crossed through Touou territory on my way here. He was carrying this on his person." Sakurai continued to explain, avoiding Nijimura's eyes.

Nijimura respected his silence on the contents for the time being. "Meiko also?" Nijimura presumed, seeing the Meiko coat of arms decorating the seal. "Don't tell me you robbed the poor lad and took his stuff?"

"I didn't." Sakurai's immediate reply told Nijimura that he probably did.

He let it drop. "Was he a normal messenger?"

"Would a normal messenger be heading into Touou land with important Meiko intel?" Sakurai inferred, finally meeting his eyes again. "They aren't exactly the best of allies right now."

Touou was more northwest, higher up than Teiko, so it must've been obvious that this false messenger was taking a different route. "Point taken."

"Make sure you deliver it to King Masaomi. Use this to seal it again." Nijimura caught the small object tossed to him. It was a wooden samp seal and a brown wax stick. He noticed the same stamp that once clasped the letter shut etched into the gold-coated end. He definitely checked out what the messenger had on him.

Sakurai mounted his horse again, throwing his leg over the saddle to straddle the beast and taking up fraying leather straps before looking down at him. "I have to return to Touou and report to Imayoshi-san immediately."

Nijimura looked up from his examination of the small tools. "Right, I'd forgotten that you have Imayoshi to keep an eye on." He didn't bother to mask his distaste. Imayoshi must've contributed to Sakurai's drastic change in attitude. The kid soaked things up like a sponge, and that wasn't always a good thing. "I hope you don't plan to ride into Touou wearing that." Nijimura said, nodding to his Meiko uniform.

"I don't plan to." Sakurai pat the pack behind him. "I came prepared, and I told my men to do the same." At those words, Sakurai turned to the two knights from before dawning the dull black armor of Touou when they came into view at the end of the alleyway. Not bad.

"And you have Akashi to watch over, so we're pretty much even." Sakurai reminded him, bringing his eyes back to him, lips tilting up in a friendly smile that looked more familiar than anything Nijimura had seen of him today. However, it didn't stick around long, his face relaxing again. "Are you sure you have to leave?" "Akashi? He'll be fine. He doesn't need someone to look after him." He had a feeling the words were directed to himself was reassurance. "Besides, I have some business to attend to." Nijimura added, earning himself an apprehensive look from Sakurai.

"Probably not bounty hunter business, huh?" Nijimura shifted under Sakurai's scrutiny, but didn't elaborate any further. Seeing that his words weren't going to sway his friend, Sakurai sighed in defeat. "Fine, I guess it must be too top secret for me to know. Don't sat I didn't warn you though."

A confused frown crossed Nijimura's features. "Warn me about what?"

"Something big is coming. You can feel it in the air." Sakurai's words took on a somber tone. "The kingdoms, us, even our reps will be a part of it."

"A part of what? Does it have to do with what's in this letter?" Sakurai looked away.

Nijimura clicked his tongue, starting to get tired of being left in the dark of something he probably should be informed of. "Just tell me what it said, Sakurai."

One of the knights called Sakurai's name. Sakurai held up a hand that he'd heard him. That knight was too far away to see those hands quivering.

Those same shaking hands wound themselves around worn reins in an attempt to hide the nervous motion, a habit Sakurai could never really break in his trainee days.

"Meikou is requesting an alliance with Teiko."

\-----

"Your father is originally from Kaijo, right?" Furihata asked one day, bent over the gittern resting on his worktable.

Kasamatsu, who had been wandering around the store in boredom, stopped in his tracks, turning around to find Furihata pausing in his work on his instrument to await his answer. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Just... curious, that's all." Seeing Kasamatsu cock an eyebrow and smile at his sorry answer, Furihata frantically turned back to replacing the worn strings of the instrument, ears reddening. "Forget I said anything."

The young musician chuckled. "No no, it's okay." Walking up to the table, Kasamatsu took a seat beside him. The shorter boy tensed, threading one of the strings into the long end and tying it to keep it in place with nimble fingers and a trusty screwdriver. "You're question just caught me by surprise. What did you want to ask?"

Pulling away from his work, Furihata fiddled with the tool in his hands. "I was just curious, since I've never been outside of the kingdom before."

Kasamatsu's eyes widened. "Never? Not even into the woods?"

Furihata shook his head. "Never."

Kasamatsu whistled. "Wow." He laced his fingers behind his head, leaning back in his chair. "The furthest I've gone was the far border of Rakuzan."

"What was it like?" Setting down his tools, Furihata turned in his chair, running his hands down brown leather trousers, even though it did little to wipe off the grime that had collected on his palms before folding them in his lap, looking at Kasamatsu in curiosity. Kasamatsu smiled. He looked like a little kid waiting for his father to tell him a story. "Does Rakuzan really have dragons?"

Legend says that each kingdom have their own guardian dragons, but all but a few live today. Living in Teiko for most of his life with little to hang on to, Kasamatsu could at least believe in the latter part of the legend.. "I don't know about Rakuzan, but..." Kasamatsu leaned in. "When my father and I were traveling along the border between there and Yosen, I found something."

He pulled out a pouch that he kept tied around one of the loops on his trousers. Unlacing the bow, he kept it pinched closed, looking up at the boy. "Furi, you promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise, I promise!" Furihata swore, looking down at the pouch in excitement.

That brought another smile to Kasamatsu's face. "Good." Reaching into the package, he pulled out a red scale that was just about the size of his palm, fitting perfectly into his cupped hands.

"Whoa..." Furihata came closer, eyes practically sparkling at the equally shining scale. Kasamatsu hadn't been able to retrieve the whole piece, having to hurriedly stuff it into his pocket before his father could look back and say anything. He only had the top- or was it bottom?- half, but that did little to lower its luster in the natural light coming through the windows.

The light enhanced the smooth and jagged edges, casting shadows that were prominent where the ruby scale was chipped. The smooth surface reflected their faces, like it had just been cleaned by the town's best shoe shiner.

"Isn't it cool?" Kasamatsu said, looking at the young tinkerer. "I found it under some dirt. It must've been buried by the snow that melted a few months back."

"It's amazing." Furihata agreed, still staring at the dragon scale in awe. "Ah, can I?" He asked, itching to touch it.

Kasamatsu handed over the scale. "Sure, go ahead."

Taking the piece of scale gingerly into his hand, he ran a thumb over the edges. He tried bending the scale, but it wouldnt give, no matter how hard he tried. "It seems very durable, so nothing small could have done this. What's even more odd, is that it doesn't see like any metal I've handled before." Furihata weighed it in his hand. "It's unnaturally light too."

"The other piece doesn't seem to have been cut off, more like..." Furihata winced, pricking himself when he ran a hand over one of the sharp tips. "It was broken off."

After inspecting it, he offered it back to Kasamatsu. "You've been to Rakuzan before, and like here, nobody has reported any dragons in years, well, mostly because people refuse to believe in such magical things anymore. But that must mean..."

Kasamatsu nodded. "Yeah, it must mean that whatever dragon this scale belonged to, must have come from within Yosen land."

\-----

Moriyama had been leafing through one of his books when that tall redhead had appeared.

He'd stumbled into the curtains that covered the door, smoothly catching his fall and righting himself again before he could get a face full of carpet. He must've thought there was a closed door there.

The sound of laughter was not far behind, filtering through sheets that were still swaying from the man's disturbance, accompanied by the pitter-patter of small feet passing by the entrance he had just come through. Judging by the way the man kept his eyes on the door and stilled like he was holding in a breath, it didn't take a genius to see that he was probably who those kids were looking for.

Moriyama cleared his throat when the noises faded out of earshot. "Hello."

The mysterious met his gaze, and Moriyama was surprised by the intensity rolling off his aura. Judging from his padded garments and sword in sheath belted at his side, he had the profession to go with it too.

A few moments of silence, and he was greeted back with a less formal greeting. "Uh, hi."

"What's your name, knight?" Moriyama asked, partly intrigued by the man's powerful aura, especially coming from a knight. Knights, normal city guards cared more for the security and the money that came with the job. But this one...

The red insignia of a three-pointed shape surrounded by three crescent circles representing the Royal Knights stuck out like a sore thumb on the cloth of his shoulder.

"Kagami." He answered, taking a look around the place.

Moriyama placed the book back on its shelf. "Well, Kagami," He took a seat at the table in the center of the room, "Care to have your fortune told? Free of charge."

That earned him a funny look but little else as Kagami complied, pulling out the wooden chair across Moriyama and taking a seat. He kept his hands in his lap, and neither slouched nor placed his boots on the table. Well, at least he made up for his conversational skills with courtesy.

Kagami eyed him, before speaking. "Aren't gypsies usually women?"

That made Moriyama laugh. "One, I'm not a gypsy. I'm a fortune teller." He certainly wasn't wearing the loose clothing or beads to be considered one. Moriyama preferred the normal clothing he had on now over flashy ones. It's not common for gypsies to perform their rituals with extravagant articles of clothing anyway. "Two, gypsies don't just tell fortunes. And three, there are as many male gypsies as there are female." Moriyama placed his arms on the table. "Now, may I have your hand? Whichever one is your dominant should be fine."

Whether Kagami accepted the answer or not, Moriyama would never know. Kagami placed both hands, palm up, on top of the table sheets. "I'm ambidextrous."

"That's not a problem. How about the left one then?" Moriyama took the offered left hand, Kagami bringing his right hand back to his hand. Moriyama wasn't surprised to find it larger than his own, and while they appeared rough and calloused, it felt soft to the touch. If it weren't cool in the room, Moriyama would have found the heat coming from Kagami's hands uncomfortable.

"Each hand has a meaning. The left shows the potential of an individual and their past. The right shows their known personality and their possible future. It all depends on how you read them." Moriyama explained, tracing the lines in his palm.

He ran his fingers over the line that stretched across the middle of Kagami's hand. "This is the head line, which connects to your thoughts and mindset. In other words, your logical side. See, usually, a solid line extends across the palm. But here, yours splits." Moriyama pointed out where the line broke off into two different directions. "You don't let yourself become consumed by decision-making very often, but rather are sensitive to the choices other people make for you and their reasoning. This allows you to change your decisions every now and then, hence the two lines."

"However," Moriyama took a closer look, "the line remains solid until it separates, and it is after that point that the two lines appear thinner." The creases of the shorter lines seemed faint. "The pros: you're open-minded to ideas and appreciate input from company. The cons: you can be indecisive when in great deals of stress and intense emotion. Your beliefs are strong until you are forced to make the final decision, which is where your mind may just begin to waver." He looked up from his palm reading. "That sound correct so far?"

Kagami eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you already know if you're doing it right?"

Moriyama smiled jokingly. "It was a joke. Just checking if you're paying attention." He turned his own attention to the line above the head line.

"This one is called the heart line," it was a short, straight line that started at his outer palm and ended just between his middle and index fingers, "which connects to your emotions and feelings. Since it's short, it appears that you keep your issues private, but seek freedom from these issues, and perhaps freedom in general. A good way of solving that is talking to someone about it. But..." Moriyama spared an amused glance at Kagami, "you're not much of a people person, huh? Shame."

"Just get on with it." Kagami growled out.

"Right, sorry." Moriyama took back his words quickly, going back to studying his hand. "I'm just trying go make it more entertaining. You look like you're dying of boredom."

Kagami rested his chin in his free hand. "Trust me, I'm utterly fascinated on the inside."

Moriyama didn't find him very convincing, but dropped it, finding nothing would get done with them bickering, and continued. "Judging by your lack of manners, you seem to be an actions-speak-louder-than-words type of guy." Finally, he reached the last line that curled around his thumb and ended at the base of his hand. "And as for this line..."

He cocked his head to the side. "Hm. This one is the life line—and no, it does not determine the length of your life." The myth was a regular assumption. "If it did though, you'd be sure there's a long life ahead of you."

"The life line is believed to reflect major life changes. According to yours, you have seen quite a lot." Each time the line faulted, was a major life change. "You've made decisions and have had experiences of trauma that have caused an impact on your life." The breaks in Kagami's life line were many, but the hands never lied. "Either that, or perhaps you've gone through a dramatic life change. Both are a possibility."

Kagami pulled his hand away before Moriyama could read any more. "... I think that's enough of your palmistry." He cautioned, rubbing his hands together.

Moriyama straightened, blinking in surprise. There was still much to decipher, but... Kagami was clearly uncomfortable with continuing in the matter. He should stop here. "My apologies if I did or said anything to offend you." He offered his remorse. "Would you rather I use the cards?"

Kagami looked skeptical, but nodded. "We can give it another try."

"I'm glad to hear that." He removed the lid off the small rectangular box to his left. Pulling out the stack, Moriyama shuffled the cards and took the first three cards sitting on top of the deck. Placing it back in the wooden box, he spread the drawn cards out on the table, face down. "I must warn you though, Tarot is not fortune telling. The cards that I've selected are a reflection of the present energy in this room, which is influenced the most by your current state. I hope you are aware of that." Moriyama looked to Kagami for confirmation. He received a nod in reply. "Good. Let's begin."

"We'll be using three cards, to make things simpler." Moriyama motioned to the first card on Kagami's left. "From left to right, each card represents the Past, Present, and Future."

He flipped over the first card, revealing a woman with two water jugs in her hands, one pouring water into a lake, and the other pouring water into the grass she knelt in. A bright yellow star gleamed in the day sky. "The Star. The Star's presence signifies a period of respite and renewal for you. This renewal may be spiritual, physical, or both. Such events is a light in the darkness, illuminating your future with your past." It appeared that despite his appearance, Kagami turned out to be more battle-hardened and experienced than Moriyama had previously thought.

The card was positioned upright, facing Kagami. "The Star's positive attributes are hope, faith, inspiration, insight and balance."

Moriyama moved on to the next one, turning it right side up. An armored man was being drawn in a chariot by two sphinxes, one black and one white. Above his head shone a canopy of stars. "The Chariot. The two sphinxes represent the charioteer's balance and use of light and dark, good and bad, right and wrong—a feat that can be difficult for anyone to conquer."

"The stars hanging over his head indicate his travels being the mundane works. The armor is a physical sign that he is ready to take on any challenge. The Chariot denotes victory over the present extremes in your life through self-control and the enforcement of your own will." That took a lot of high status and power, hence the scepter the charioteer was wielding in his hand. It must be something Kagami has access to in some way.

"It is the eighth card of the twenty-two major Tarot cards, and represents the number 7, which can be associated with good luck."

"But luck does not seem to be on your side." The card was faced towards himself, opposite of the previous of the card. "If faced a certain direction, a card can reinforce or negate my, the reader's, predictions. It is turned away from you, the victim, which could prove to be a problem." Kagami tensed in his seat. Moriyama paid it little attention. "You may find yourself currently burdened with bad luck and falling short of success in familiar problematic situations and vices. The possible causes could be past failures or sudden losses—"

The table shook as Kagami abruptly stood up from his chair, cutting off Moriyama's concentration. His chair tipped back and fell to the floor. The sharp smack of wood against concrete made Moriyama wince as it rattled his eardrums, breaking the silent atmosphere.

Everything that had faded into the background for the duration of the reading flooded Moriyama's senses once again. The sound of people passing by the lonely black curtain and the chatter of nearby bargainers and bpvendors coming from beyond the doorway resumed. But he was more concerned with Kagami.

"Kagami?" His whole form was strung taut like a vielle bow, gold eyes piercing as he kept his eyes locked on Moriyama, and then on the final card. His eyes were unnaturally bright in the shadows as he retreated away from the light of the candles sitting in the center of the table.

Kagami took a slow step back, shaking his head. "That's enough. I don't want to hear anymore." His walk was stilted, stiff. "I... I have to go." His words tumbled out in a rush. Kagami broke eye contact, stepping over the fallen chair and storming out as fast as he had belted out those quick words of farewell.

Moriyama watched as he vanished behind the curtains before taking his seat again. Did Kagami find himself unable to continue in fear of what was being laid out in front of him? Moriyama stared at the lone card to his left. Or perhaps...

He reached out, turning over the last card.

The cards faced towards Moriyama. False accusations. Isolation. Misunderstanding.

Perhaps Kagami already knew what the last card was.

A king was siting on a throne, dressed in royal red and green garments, with a golden crown atop his head. In one hand, he held a sword. In the other, a scale. Justice.

 _Justice will be done, and the truth, in time, will be revealed to you_ , was the meaning of the card.

\-----

Kagami stumbled into the first alleyway he found empty—luckily having run into nobody on the way—almost missing the wall he'd meant to lean against for support. Moriyama's words still rang clear in his ears.

**"Your beliefs are strong until you are forced to make the final decision, which is where your mind may just begin to waver."**

Final decision? Did he mean...

_"I promise that I'll be okay."_

_"Go. For me."_

Kagami tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't move. He grit his teeth, biting back a grown as his bones shifted, reacting to the unfamiliar fight-or-flight feeling settling into his bones, literally. His body was trying to force him to shift into his dragon form. His back flared in pain. Kagami held it back, sliding the rest of the way to the ground, clutching his burning shoulder as he tried to focus on keeping his breaths short but steady.

His head was pounding. Kagami rested his forehead against the cool concrete wall, but it did little to cool his heated skin.

**"Since it's short, it appears that you keep your issues private, but seek freedom from these issues, and perhaps freedom in general."**

_"Hey, don't you think Kagamicchi is pretty mysterious?"_

_Kagami paused in slipping on his shirt, having come down early to the barracks to get ready for another day of training. He always arrived a fair amount of time earlier than everybody else, so it was unusual to find another person here. He hadn't even heard them come in._

_Kagami turned his head, spotting Kise and Murasakibara in the reflection of the mirror that lay propped against the wall. They probably couldn't see him from this angle._

_If he hadn't heard them, that must mean they didn't know he was in here._

_"Kaga-chin?" Kagami could hear the crunching of something as Murasakibara popped a piece of food into his mouth. He watched as Kise reached over to the sitting giant next to him, plucking a small piece of whatever it was from the cloth bag and popping it into his mouth before Murasakibata could move, the action earning him a glare._

_"Yeah, he keeps his business private, and the only other place I ever see him is with the princess." Kise said while chewing, reaching back into his wooden cabinet to pull out his change of clothes for the day. "Kinda like a cool mysterious though, right?"_

When he received no answer for a good minute, long enough to make Kagami begin to lose interest in the conversation, Kise waved it off like it was a normal occurrence, shucking on his vest. "Ah, you can just ignore that. I was just talking to myself again." Kise punctuated his words with a laugh, probably hoping his friend would drop it.

_He did. Murasakibara just looked at him for a moment, before muttering, "If you keep talking to yourself, Aka-chin might just put you on leave from duty."_

_Kagami's smile at the half-serious joke was expressed verbally by another one of Kise's laughs. The snack bag was pulled further out of reach the next time Kise reached out for some more, and a single chuckle from Murasakibara echoed Kise's whining. Kagami turned away from the scene, pulling on his shirt. He silently grabbed for his shoes and put them on._

_All conversation was dropped after that, and Kagami waited for them to exit before tying his laces on last time and following a few minutes later out the other door._

**"You've made decisions and have had experiences of trauma that have caused an impact on your life. Either that, or perhaps you've gone through a dramatic life change. Both are a possibility."**

_"Hey, ever thought of becoming a knight of Meiko?"_

Moriyama's predictions were grudgingly becoming more accurate by the second.

The comforting heat he often found refuge in while in his beastly form was scalding to his current human form. Kagami could feel the steam rolling off his skin and the dragon within him growl in protest, threatening to break out of his physical disguise.

Frost seeped from Kagami's fingertips like ice across a river along his skin in a thin sheen to try and cool his body, but it melted away in a thin cloud of steam as fiery heat boiled under his skin. Kagami dropped the hand on his shoulder, silver fading away to reveal aurelian orbs again.

His emotions were beginning to spiral out of control. This body could only take so much before...

Unfamiliar images flashed in his mind.

A hooded rider traveling in the rain. Castle flags burning. A blackened knife clattering to the ground. An arrow shattering glass.

Moriyama's words came again.

**"The possible causes could be past failures or sudden losses-"**

_"Hey."_

_Kagami didn't look up, unable to properly meet Kuroko's eyes from where she sat resting on his shoulders, but hummed in response. "What is it?"_

_"What did you do before you got into Meiko? When you were... injured." Kagami caught the slight pause._

_There sudden and painful departure still seems to have affected Tetsumi greatly. It was a sensitive subject that they needed to touch on more._

_But now wasn't the time. Kagami turned a corner marked with a flower pot, thinking. "I slept."_

_Hands smaller than his own threaded themselves into his hair. Baby blue locks obstructed his vision as Tetsumi tilted her head upside down to look at him with eyes clearer than the sky. "Slept? Is that how you were able t recover so quickly? They were quite severe wounds." Worry laced her tone._

_"Sleeping is perhaps one of the slowest ways to heal, but I didn't have much strength to do anything else. When I awoke, the smaller wounds I healed myself." Testumi didn't press of whether it was with magic or not- which it was. "I'm fine though. I still have some back pains, but that's all."_

_"Then why'd you give me a ride if your back is hurting?" Testumi questioned._

_Kagami wondered why too. So he went with the first words that came to mind. "Because you looked happy when I said yes."_

_Kuroko's features blanked, and she blinked in surprise, the slightest hue of pink coloring her face. "Oh..."_

_They both fell silent after that, Tetsumi pulling away to admire the flower buds just barely sprouting along the low-hanging branches overhead, reaching up now and again to pluck a blooming flower from its bunch, and Kagami heading wherever his legs took him._

_In the tranquility of the gardens, under the gentle rags of the March spring sun, Tetsumi resting her head atop his head that was messily decorated with flowers- flowers that he would have to make sure to shake out so the others wouldn't see when they leave, but would keep all the same- as she nodded off to the steady rhythm of his strides, not a guard in sight, Kagami could admit that in that moment, for once, this place felt a little more homey than that rundown Yosen castle._

_The next words were spoken softly, but clear enough to reach his ears and disappear like the fading February chill._

_"I'm really glad you're here."_

_Well, maybe more than a little._

Kagami could feel his body temperature begin to lower, still lingering higher than normal than a human's because of the fire he possessed. His body went lax. Kagami let his head fall back, still panting for breath. He would've thought it'd be easier to breath, but Kagami still found himself short of air.

The dragon inside him quieted, retreating back into the further corners of his mind, leaving behind a disoriented sensation that made Kagami's head buzz and left his ears ringing.

But that wasn't what left him shaken. It was the images he had seen.

Dragons have the magical capability to see glimpses of the future.

And those were Touou flags that he saw burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some background info:
> 
> Rulers:
> 
> Teiko: King Masaomi  
> Meiko: King Kōzō  
> Rakuzan: King Eiji  
> Touou: No King as of yet  
> Kaijo: King Takeuchi  
> Yosen: Queen Masako (deceased)
> 
> Order of kingdoms from east to west:
> 
> Kaijo, Meiko, Touou, Teiko, Rakuzan, Yosen
> 
> Alliances:
> 
> During Arc War:  
> Kaijo, Teiko, and Rakuzan / Yosen, Touou, and Meiko
> 
> Present:  
> Kaijo and Teiko / Rakuzan and Touou  
> (Yosen: N/A)  
> (Meiko: currently requesting alliance)
> 
> Character Roles:
> 
> Kuroko: Princess  
> Kagami: Dragon / Royal Knight / Bodyguard  
> Aomine: Royal Knight / Lieutenant  
> Akashi: Prince (Heir) / Royal Knight / General  
> Midorima: Royal Knight / Second-in-Command (Commander)  
> Kise: Royal Knight / Interpreter / Third-in-Command (Commander)  
> Murasakibara: Royal Knight / Carriage Driver / Captain  
> Izuki: Mapmaker / Bounty Hunter (retired) / _(omitted)_  
>  Moriyama: Fortune Teller  
> Furihata: Inventor / Tinkerer  
> Mayuzumi: Bookbinder  
> Kasamatsu: Musician  
> Himuro: Mapmaker  
> Takao: Ostler  
> Ogiwara: Stable Hand / _(omitted)_  
>  Momoi: Town Advisor  
> Riko: Royal Maid / Healer  
>  _(no appearance)_ Kobori: Lawyer  
>  _(no appearance)_ Miyaji: Shop Owner  
>  _(no appearance)_ Hanamiya: Diplomat / _(omitted)_  
>  Kiyoshi: Knight / _(omitted)_  
>  Hyuuga: Barber  
> Sakurai: Chief of Security (relieved) / Messenger of Meiko / Spy  
> Nijimura: Bounty Hunter / Spy / _(omitted)_
> 
> I honestly don't know if I'll continue, but it is a possibility. People will die tho

**Author's Note:**

> There'll more likely than not be a second chapter, since I want to include more characters.


End file.
